Tools Permit Users to Access Software

Software upgrades from TIBCO Software Inc. and Tarantella Inc. provide IT departments with the capability to let users access integrated applications through a portal.

TIBCO last week released Version 4.0 of its ActivePortal, which includes a new feature called Integration Designer, making it possible for TIBCOs enterprise application integration portal to communicate with about 200 disparate applications. The result is that users can aggregate information from different operational systems to interact with those applications and collaborate with users, according to TIBCO officials in Palo Alto, Calif.

Separately, Tarantella later this month will ship Tarantella Enterprise 3 Integration Pack for iPlanet Portal Server, which enables users to access applications securely through Sun Microsystems Inc.s iPlanet Portal Server. This lets businesses aggregate applications to better manage IT resources, said Tarantella officials in Santa Cruz, Calif.

TIBCOs ActivePortal 4.0 is itself a user integration platform that provides companies—along with employees, partners and customers—with a single interface for their business. Version 4.0 adds Web services support and integration with TIBCOs workflow and business process management functionality. The latest iteration of ActivePortal can convert standards-based Web services into viewable portal content and interfaces. Likewise, the software will also convert its own content and services into Web services so they can be syndicated to other devices, according to officials.

A new content management capability combines Verity Inc.s K2 Developer search engine with TIBCOs content publishing system to enable publishing of documents and Web content. ActivePortal also provides companies with the ability to manage their own community membership and access control.

ActivePortal comprises PortalBuilder, which aggregates content from an e-business infrastructure; PortalPacks, which are pre-built interfaces to applications; and AlertServer, a notification system.

Meanwhile, Tarantella is using the integration of its thin-client computing architecture with the iPlanet Portal for its Web services push. The portal provides a native JCA (Java 2 Enterprise Edition Connector Architecture) that lets IT departments deliver Web services as well as link to major enterprise resource planning systems with JCA connectors. Tarantella Enterprise 3 Integration Pack for the iPlanet Portal Server debuted last week and will be available at months end.